SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the trauma of lacking the 2018 event, clinching a berth for this 12 months’s championship in Qatar on Wednesday regardless of a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the ultimate night time of qualifying.
Juan Pablo Vargas bought behind Walker Zimmerman and headed Brandon Aguilera’s nook kick previous goalkeeper Zack Steffen within the 51st minute, and Anthony Contreras knocked in a cross off a scramble within the 59th after Steffen couldn’t maintain onto a free kick.
A sellout crowd of about 35,000 in National Stadium got here to life, however the Americans’ 5-1 rout of Panama at house final weekend gave them an enormous goal-difference margin over Costa Rica. That meant the U.S. merely needed to keep away from dropping by six targets or extra as a way to declare an computerized berth by ending among the many high three nations in North and Central America and Caribbean.
American gamers on the bench walked onto the sector on the last whistle and exchanged handshakes and hugs with their teammates who ended the sport, whereas house followers cheered the Ticos.
Canada, which had clinched its first World Cup journey since 1986 with a win Sunday, completed first with 28 factors after a 1-0 loss at Panama, forward of Mexico on purpose distinction. El Tri moved forward of the U.S. and clinched its eighth straight World Cup, whereas the U.S. completed third with 25 factors and a plus-11 purpose distinction.